Disclaimer: I don't own Falling Skies. If I did, it probably wouldn't be nearly as good as it is.

Author's Note: I wrote this ficlet right after Jamil's death. It was supposed to be a longer piece about Lourdes, but it turned into a piece about Anne instead. I decided to go ahead and post it, since the theme sort of fits with Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

You Give and Take Away

Jamil's death was a loss felt by the entire 2nd Mass. The brilliant mechanic had been servicing their trucks and generators for so long that nobody really knew what to do without him. It took a full day before people began stepping up to take over his various duties. But the absence of his bright smile and easy-going nature left a gaping hole that none of them were quite able to fill.

Of course it was Lourdes who took it the worst. Almost overnight she transformed into a completely different person. Her warm smile and constant optimism were gone, replaced by a cold exterior that held everyone at arm's length. She started eating by herself and stopped talking unless it was absolutely necessary. The young med student who had been the embodiment of hope and sunshine to the 2nd Mass had become a bitter loner who wanted nothing to do with the rest of the world.

It was the night after Jamil's death, however, that Anne realized just how hard Lourdes had fallen. She had gone to give Weaver a report he wanted on the state of their medical supplies, and when she returned to the med bus Lourdes was lying on her small bed with her face to the wall. Her precious Bible was lying on the floor. The open pages were pressed against the floor of the med bus, and if it wasn't rescued soon most of them would have a permanent crease.

On an impulse Anne bent down and scooped up the Bible. It had fallen open to the book of Job. Anne remembered the basics of the story from her childhood. God had allowed Satan to take away Job's wealth, his home, his children, and even his health. And yet through it all Job had refused to curse God.

As she carefully folded back the bent pages, Anne found her eyes drawn to a few lines that were underlined in blue pen. It was the last half of verse twenty-one of chapter one. "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised."

Anne closed her eyes for a moment as the words sank in. She had turned away from God years ago after her father had died of cancer. But Job had lost everything, and somehow he had still held onto his faith. Truth be told, their present situation wasn't so different. The people of the 2nd Mass had lost their homes, their possessions, and many of their friends and family members. They spent their days fighting for survival and their nights hoping the aliens didn't attack them in the dark. But at least they were alive. It might not be much of a life, but it was a start. At least they had food and guns and water, even if they did have to scrounge for them. At least they had roofs over their heads, even if most of them were makeshift. At least they had each other. It was more than Job had been allowed to keep. And yet through it all Job had continued to trust God. And in the end he had been given back even more than he had lost. Maybe the same was true of the 2nd Mass. Maybe God still had a plan for them after all. Maybe someday when this was all over they would finally get their lives back. And maybe, just maybe, what they received would be even better than what they had lost.

Anne got up off the floor and sat down on her tiny makeshift bed, the Bible still in her hands. She hadn't read the good book in years, but maybe it was time to give it another try. It certainly couldn't hurt. The 2nd Mass needed all the help they could get. At least one of them should be talking to God just in case. At least one of them should be holding on to hope. And if Lourdes was going to stop, then maybe it was time Anne started.

She flipped the tiny Bible to the book of John (her late mother's favorite) and began to read.

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